More like giving Micky a BJ.
Why?
USCG release: Foreign flagged vessels that loiter beyond US territorial seas, particularly those registered to the Bahamas that require a MEDEVAC to a shoreside facility should seek flag state support prior to seeking support from the limited facilities in the US.
Absolute worse outcome to go to Bahamas. Very few facilities especially after the last hurricane. Wake up call for cruise companies, if not already. They can seek support from flag state but it is not there is my point. Blame later, but some of these people need help, and now. Not my mom or dad, but somebodyâs folks Iâm sure.
Both the cruise ship Zaandam, where dozens of people have fallen ill, and its sister ship Rotterdam are due to enter US waters early Thursday ahead of their expected docking in Fort Lauderdale.
Could be that one of his cruise line buddies called Trump and asked for a favor that will be returned in due time. Then I owe you one DonaldâŚ
Yet another cruise ship is heading for Florida.
Princess Cruises is sending their Coral Princess to Fort Lauderdale this weekend to dump their sick passengers. The ship is flagged to and the company is incorporated in Bermuda.
Princess Cruises also said many have tested positive for the flu and all guests have been asked to self-isolate in their rooms.
The cruise lines are designed to suck up as much money as possible while not giving a shit about any one else, dodging their responsibilities, avoiding taxes looking for government bailouts and so forth . But how is that any different then the rest of the big corporations?
Iâd say maybe the other way around, government leaned on the CG to leave the passengers trapped. Now the government, for whatever reason, has reversed.
The passengers should not be punished for the sins of the owners.
Kennebec _Captain I really am not a fan of FOC and the lot. Well said, perhaps the message I tried to put out, but your last sentence nailed it. In one mans opinion, the owners need to show âOwnershipâ
It looks like they could bear some of the load. The newest report I could find is dated Nov 2019. It reports Freeport open for business with cruises back in operations 100%, hotels and restaurant 85%
We do know Donald and Micky are BFFs and play well together.
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Yes, too coincidental. Probably the old boys network at work. But then I am blessed with a Dutch farmers suspicious mind⌠
Agreed. I donât advocate punishing anyone and playing the blame game wonât solve current problems but letâs face it, both the cruise lines and the passengers they loaded in a developing pandemic are complicit. Both rolled a set of loaded dice and the outcome was predictable. The cruise lines have proven once again that their greed and lack of responsibility knows no bounds.
Stepping down from soap boxâŚ
When a vessel is in distress they call the Coast Guard. The CG first comes to the aid of that vessel. Later an investigation is done to determine the cause.
No reason to reverse the order in this case.
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Agree Lee_Shore, and Kennebec__Captain. Humanitarian side of me says help those folks. Business side says shame on you.
Iâd agree with you. In an emergency we all have a duty to help.
This is not an emergency. Itâs a manufactured situation. These companies willfully endangered their passengers and crew to maximize their private profit. When shit went bad they used the âemergency excuseâ to dump their responsibility at public cost.
As soon as they think they can mitigate enough risk they will welcome passengers aboard. Why not? Theyâll know that when shit goes bad they can run back to Florida, dump their burdens ashore, spray a little sanitizer and welcome the next batch passengers with open palms.
Giving these companies an easy way out only incentivizes their behavior and endangers their future passengers.
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Why not arrest the ship at the dock until payment is made by the owners? Thatâs a pretty large piece of collateral.
If you use this argument, precedent exists. How is this situation different than the Titanic, where âcompanies willfully endangered their passengers and crew to maximize their private profitâ?
What was done in that incident re: passengers?
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The Cruise Industry employs a lot of people, both at sea and ashore. Not many are Americans, but shouldnât seafarers show solidarity across narrow nationality and race borders?
Likewise, the passengers on board cruise ships comes from many different countries and are of different races. Donât they deserve a bit of compassion when faced with a danger not of their own making?
Besides, there is an age old tradition that seafarers help people in peril, regardless of who they are and how they ended up in danger.
Has the hater of fat cat cruise company owners and anything to do with FOC ships (+ fear of a virus) totally taken over the thinking here?
BTW: Does anybody on this forum own shears in any Cruise company, or make their living from any business that is dependent on the Cruise industry (directly or indirectly)?
Moral hazard. Also privatizing gains and socializing losses, all understood. Leaving the passengers aboard wonât solve these problems.
The passengers and crew should be helped. The corporation should bare all the costs.
For example, the ship could berth, the sick could be removed, and the passengers discharged and repatriated. Then the ship should remain berthed for several weeks while the crew is monitored for illness and removed when necessary. The ship should not be permitted to get underway until the local health department is sure the crew is illness free and safe.
Of course, keeping a cruise ship tied up for that long would be very expensive. The company would rather pump and dump the passengers and let the crew infect each other at sea where the costs are lower and free of bad publicity.
Scary thought. The crew, no matter where they are from deserve better. FOC is explained in the last letter. Convenience. USA is better than that, time to act like it.
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